Shoe stapler



Patented June 2, 1931 ERNEST DTTNFORD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI OF ST.LOUIS, M'ISSOURI, A

Parser ASSIGNOR T0 LANDIS MACHINE COMPANY, CORPORATION OF MISSOURI SHOESTAPLER Application filed December My invention relates to shoe staplersof the type described in patent No. 1,016,930, issued February 13, 1912to WV. H. Borden, and consists in anovel throat block and associatedstructure for such a machine.

The staples generally used in machines of this type are formed from acontinuous strip of flat wire by cutting the wire at intervals with aknife disposed diagonally of the length of the wire in order to providethe staple with a pointed edge to facilitate its entering the work.After having its two ends cut by the knife, the length of wire is giventhe staple shape by means of formers operating before the staple ispresented to the work. The staple thus produced (see Figure 7) has itspointed ends bevelled in opposite directions and the tendency, as thestaple is driven, is for one leg to move away from the perpendicular inone direction and for the other leg to move away from the perpendicularin the opposite direction due, obviously, to the thrust of the workagainst the bevelled ends of the staple.

The result of this tendency is that the points of the staple, afterpassing through the sole, do not always strike the inner face of thecup-shaped anvil and one point of the staple may miss the anvilaltogether. In either case, one point of the staple may not be clinchedwhich affords opportunity for injuring the foot of the wearer of theshoe being stapled and also affords opportunity for the point to projectthrough the upper of the shoe, damaging the same.

The object of my invention is to avoid the above described difficulty bydirecting the staple so that the tendency of the bevelled points toseparate from each other will be resisted.

I attain this object by shaping the grooves in the throat block whichguide the staple so that at least one leg of the staple is inclined fromthe direction which the bevelled point tends to give the leg. I

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a selected embodiment of myinvention Figure 1 is a front view of a shoe stapler of the typereferred to.

Figure 2 is a top view of the throat block drawn on a greatly enlargedscale.

4, 1929. Serial No. 411,589.

Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sectionstaken on the lines 33 and H ofFigure 2.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the block showing a staple in twopositions of its travel therethrough.

Figure 6 illustrates the staple properly driven through a shoe outersole, upper and inner sole.

Figure 7 is a detail View of an individual staple.

The general arrangement of the mechanism shown in Figure 1 forms no partof my present invention and corresponds to the disclosure of theabove-mentioned Borden patent. It will be understood that the mechanismincludes a plunger 1, indicated in Figure 5, for driving the staples anda throat block 2 for guiding the staple and an anvil 3 for clinching thepoints of the staple after the same have passed through the work.

The throat block is detailed in Figures 2, 3 and 4 and includes shortconverging notches 4 adapted to engage the points of the staple as itmoves downwardly from the former and direct the points into the mainguiding grooves 5 and 6 which extend from near the upper portion of thethroat block to the discharge end of the same.v Groove 5 is straightthroughout its length and is disposed parallel with the axis of thethroat block. Groove 6 has a slight helical twist, preferably about 25,between its upper and lower ends.

As a result of the arrangement of these grooves 5 and 6, the staple willbe slightly distorted as it leaves the throat block (see Figure 5) sothat the leg 7, nearest the eye, enters the work vertically while theleg-8, farthest from the eye, enters the work at a slight incline, about2, from the vertical,

this inclination being in the direction opposite to the inclinationwhich the leg would tend to take due to the thrust against its bevellededge 9. As a result of this inclination, leg 8 will be approximatelystraight after it has passed through the work or, at most, will beinclined in the opposite direction from that shown in Figure 5 to such aslight degree that its point will still come within the edge of theanvil 3 and be clinched properly without any likelihood of engaging theouter edge of the anvil and being thrust into the shoe upper.

Figure 6 illustrates a staple driven through the outer sole 10, upper 11and inner sole 12 and having its points clinched inwardly in the desiredmanner. 7

'VVhile I have referred to a machine and throat parts which drive andguide the staple downwardly in a general vertical direction, it will beunderstood that my invention may be embodied in a machine which drivesthe staple horizontally and, in such event, the term vertical would beequivalent to the direction of the axis of the throat or, in otherwords, the line of drive.

Various modifications may be made in the detail-structure of my throatblock and Icontemplate the exclusive use of such variations as comewithin the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. In a shoe stapler, a member for driving a staple, means for directingone leg of the staple vertically as it enters the work, and means fordirecting the other leg of the staple at an angle to the vertical as itenters the work.

2. In a shoe stapler, a staple discharge throat block having individualelements for guiding the opposite points of a staple in its passagethrough the block, one or" said elements being straight from end to endand the other of said elements having a slight helical lead. e

3. In. a shoe stapler, a staple discharge throat block having individualelements for guiding the opposite points of a staple in its passagethrough the block, one of said elements extending parallel with the axisof the throat and the other of saidelements having a helical lead ofapproximately twenty-five de rees between its upper and lower ends.

l. Iii a machine for driving a shoesole staple having the end of each ofits legs bevelled to form a point with one of the adjacent edges, athroat block including elements for guiding the staple into the work sothat one ot said bevelled ends and the adjacent edge are inclined onopposite sides of a vertical line passing through the point formed bysaid end and edge.

5. In a throat block for a stapler'machine, a staple passageway having astraight vertical groove at one side for holding one leg of the staplevertical as it passes through the block: and having a helical groove onthe other side for inclining the other leg of the staple at an angle ofabout two degrees from the vertical as it passes from the block.

6. In a throat block for a stapler machine, a staple passageway having astraight vertical groove at one side for embracing and guiding one legof the staple as it passes through the block and having a helical groovewith its upper end opposite to the upper end of said straight verticalgroovefor embracing and guiding the other leg of said staple, saidhelical groove having a lead of approximately twenty-five degreesbetween its upper and lower ends.

7. In a throat block for a stapler machine, a staple passageway having astraight groove at one side for guidin one leg of the staple as itpasses throu h tlde block and having a helical groove at the other sidefor inclining the other leg of the staple at an angle to the planepassing through the axis of the passageway and said straight groove.

8. In a throat block for a stapler machine, a staple passageway having astraight groove at one side for guiding one leg of the staple as itpasses through the block and having a helical groove at the other sidefor inclining the other leg of the staple at an angle, of approximatelytwo degrees to the plane passing through the axis of the passageway andsaid straight groove.

9; In a throat block for a stapler machine, a staple passageway having astraight element for guiding one leg of the staple throughout its travelthrough said passageway and an element for guiding the other leg of thestaple at an angle to the. plane passing through said straight elementand the axis of said passageway.

10. In a shoe stapler, a throat block, a member fordriving a staple.therethrough perpendicularly to the surface of the work, and a means fordirecting a leg of said staple at such angle to the perpendicular at.the point of puncture as it enters the-work as to compensate for thetendency of said leg to incline from the vertical in a difierentdirection due to the resistance of the work to'the bevelled end of theleg.

Intesti nony whereof I hereunto my signature this 30th day of November,1929;

- ERNEST DUNFORD.

